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Thursday, September 19, 2013 | DOWNTOWN BEAVERTON 9
nightstand?
What’s on your
What Beaverton’s bibliophiles and bookworms are reading right now. . .
BOOKS
DOWNTOWN BEAVERTON
“The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant
“The Red Tent” is a historical fiction novel based on
parts of the Old Testament about the family of Jacob,
son of Isaac, told through the
eyes of his daughter, Dinah.
The author weaves deep stories
of Jacob, his four wives and
their children, showing a world
where clans’ fathers ruled and
the best that women could
hope for was healthy children
and a generous husband. Di-
nah’s life story is compelling,
laced with joy and sorrow. It
reminds us of how much of
our own lives are controlled by our culture, by our
unconscious choices to accept, follow, judge and be
judged by its social norms.
By watching why her life
unfolded as it did, we can
see the limitations imposed
by our society’s beliefs,
some of them not much
different than hers. We can
ask ourselves: What choices
have we made? Have we
chosen compassion and
openness to change? Or have
we chosen to be an unconscious
judge and executioner of our culture’s view of
“right” or “God’s will?”
Cate Arnold
Beaverton City Council
“Let My People Go Surfing; The
Education of a Reluctant Business
Man”
by Yvon Chouinard
While in graduate school, I was told the political and
day-to-day realities of my future
career would one day kill my
passion. I naively resented and
ignored such a concept. Twenty
years later, I still disagree, but I
now understand how this happens
to many of us. “Let My People Go
Surfing” is an inspirational story
that reminds us to maintain our
passion as the focus for our work.
Yvon Chouinard, founder of the
pure and high-quality company
Patagonia, is an inspirational and unconventional leader.
He shows us that it is possible
to generate success in today’s
market and stay true to one’s
core values. To counteract his
disdain for many of our societal
norms, he works and leads to
reflect his principles and beliefs.
Patagonia is a manifestation to
the way Yvon lives. We all need
current role models to remind us
that success is not about profit or
a bottom-line, but rather our message
and the legacy we leave. I found this book enjoyable
and very refreshing.
Jeff Rose
Superintendent, Beaverton School District
“Confronting Suburban Poverty in
America”
by Elizabeth Kenebone and Alan Berube
Confronting Suburban Poverty in America challenges
prevailing stereotypes and current urban policies, largely
developed in the 1960s, which char-
acterize suburbs as areas of sprawling
affluence and homogeneous resident
populations. According to the authors,
nothing could be further than today’s
realities.
As central cities have under-gone a
welcome economic, development and
income renaissance, their adjoining
suburbs — particularly the first-tier
cities which surround them — have
changed greatly, but without much
notice by public officials and civic organizations.
The nation’s balance of poor population shifted from rural
areas in the period 1980 to 2000, with 30 percent of the poor
living in cities, principally central cities. During the 1990s,
however, the number and percentage of poor individuals in
the suburbs grew at more than twice that of central cities: 19
percent compared with 8 percent. This trend accelerated in
the period 2000-2010, during which time suburban poverty
grew by 23 percent, along with the ethnic and racial diversity
of the suburbs.
Since 2010, in virtually all
metropolitan areas, the accelera-
tion of poverty continues unabated.
Despite this, this book reports that
most urban programs and metropoli-
tan governments and organizations,
focus resources and attention on the
central cities or the more-affluent
exurban communities with large
industrial parks, which surround
older, first-tier communities.
These changes, argue the authors, justify a com-
plete re-thinking of contemporary public policies, non-profit
and foundation priorities, as well as the development of social
service networks in the suburbs.
Don Mazziotti
City of Beaverton Director of Community and Economic Development
Cate Arnold
Jeff Rose Don Mazziotti
Continued on Page 10 >>
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